Nottingham Forest v West Ham United
Premier League, City Ground, Saturday 17 February 2024, 3pm GMT
West Ham United travel north this weekend to take on Nottingham Forest in a rare Saturday 3pm kick-off, looking for a strong reaction to home disappointment at the hands of title-challengers Arsenal last time out.
David Moyes’ Hammers go into the contest off the back of successive Premier League defeats, though they remain in the mix for European qualification, sitting eighth in the table.
Forest will be hungry for revenge having fallen 3-2 in the reverse fixture at London Stadium in November, courtesy of Lucas Paquetá, Jarrod Bowen and Tomáš Souček goals, while they themselves are in need of points after going down in three of their last four outings.
Former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Espírito Santo replaced Steve Cooper as head coach in December, though he has not tasted victory in the league since picking up the full share of the spoils in two of his first three games in charge before the turn of the new year.
Tickets…
West Ham fans are advised that the Club’s allocation of 2,893 tickets have sold out.
The first 90 per cent of tickets sold out to Bondholders and Season Ticket Holders with 34+ Loyalty Points. The remaining ten per cent (289 tickets) were then made available by a ballot process to Season Ticket Holders who had yet to purchase for this fixture. This ballot closed at 12pm on Tuesday 30 January.
Travel…
The address for your sat nav is City Ground, Nottingham, NG2 5FJ. However, there is not much by way of street parking to be had in the streets around the stadium.
From the south, that means you’ll leave the M1 at Junction 24 and follow the signs for Nottingham and then for football traffic.
There are a number of car parks within a mile of the City Ground, including those at Meadow Lane (Notts County’s home ground), Nottingham railway station, County Hall, the Cattle Market, Lady Bay Sports Ground and Victoria Embankment.
For those travelling by train, Nottingham is on the East Midlands Railway line from London St Pancras.
Direct trains leave St Pancras at .05 and .35 past the hour, arriving at Nottingham around an hour-and-a-half later. It’s a 20-minute walk along Queens Road, London Road and along the River Trent.
After the game, direct trains depart Nottingham for London at 17.50 and 18.12.
How To Follow…
Saturday’s 3pm kick-off will NOT be broadcast live in the UK, but will be shown across the world by the Premier League’s international broadcast partners.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of Premier League listings in your territory.
You can follow the action via our live blog on whufc.com and our app, and across our social media channels. We will also have highlights and exclusive reaction for you after the final whistle on our website and social media.
Live audio commentary will be available in the UK on BBC Radio London, and worldwide on our official website and app.
Team News…
Lucas Paquetá and Michail Antonio continue to be assessed by West Ham manager David Moyes, with both having been missing in the Premier League through injury since the start of 2024.
Brazil international Paquetá has scored five goals in 27 appearances in all competitions in 2023/24, but hobbled off during the 1-1 FA Cup draw against Bristol City last month in his most recent game, while Antonio has been missing in the top-flight since the reverse fixture against Nottingham Forest in November.
Forest top scorer Chris Wood is currently out with a hamstring injury, while Argentina international Gonzalo Montiel is a doubt after missing the defeat against Newcastle last weekend with a similar problem.
Ibrahim Sangaré, Ola Aina and Willy Boly were all involved in the latter stages of the 2023 CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which came to an end last Sunday.
Opposition…
Currently just two points off the Premier League drop zone, with three defeats from their previous four games, Nottingham Forest prepare to host the Hammers with the threat of relegation surrounding them.
Having enjoyed a return to the big-time last season, after over 20 years in the doldrums, all associated with the club - and particularly the supporters - will be desperate to retain top-flight status going into the business end of this campaign.
One of the most recognised football institutions in England, Forest boast two European Cup wins, a European Super Cup triumph, a First Division title and four EFL Cup crowns from Brian Clough’s illustrious 18-year spell in charge, between 1975-93.
While the Tricky Trees have also lifted the FA Cup twice since forming in 1865, in 1898 and 1959, they have spent much of their recent past chasing former glories, and after three relegations from the Premier League in seven years, were consigned to EFL Championship and League One football for 23 years.
That curse was finally lifted by Steve Cooper at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, with the Welshman having replaced Chris Hughton that September and inspired a fourth-place finish, before victory over Huddersfield Town in the Play-Off final.
A bold transfer strategy was duly implemented by Forest upon their return to the promised land, with 32 names joining the team last season across permanent deals, and Cooper managed to gel everything together to clinch 16th place and survival.
Another term toying with trouble ultimately saw Cooper replaced by Nuno Espírito Santo in December, and though the Portuguese enjoyed two wins in his first three games in charge, a difficult run since has kept them in the midst of danger.
Outside of league action, Forest remain in the running for this year’s FA Cup, with a home tie against Manchester United next up in the fifth round, though they exited the EFL Cup at the hands of Burnley at the second-round stage.
Former Hammer Cheikhou Kouyaté swapped Crystal Palace for the City Ground in August 2022, and has made 12 appearances in all competitions this season, while current West Ham No9 Michail Antonio scored 19 goals in 54 games for Forest between 2014-15.
Previous Meetings…
Saturday’s contest marks the 120th competitive meeting between West Ham and Nottingham Forest, but only the 12th in the Premier League.
Overall, the Hammers edge the head-to-head statistics, with 48 wins to their name. There have been 26 draws between the teams, while Forest have come out on top on 45 occasions.
The last two match-ups have resulted in full shares of the spoils for West Ham, with the aforementioned 3-2 win at London Stadium earlier this season coming after David Moyes’ charges triumphed 4-0 - courtesy of a Danny Ings brace, as well as Declan Rice and Michail Antonio strikes - in February 2023, again on home turf.
The City Ground has delivered defeat to West Ham on their last two visits, with a 5-0 FA Cup thumping by the-then EFL Championship Tricky Trees preceding a narrow 1-0 reverse in the hosts’ second clash back in the Premier League, in August 2022.
The Irons last took all three points on their travels against Forest on 28 August 2011, when goals from Kevin Nolan, Carlton Cole and Winston Reid, and a Luke Chambers own-goal, yielded a 4-1 triumph en route to promotion from the second tier.
Match Officials…
Referee: Tom Bramall
Assistant Referees: Mat Wilkes and Adrian Holmes
Fourth Official: Gavin Ward
VAR: Tim Robinson
Assistant VAR: Derek Eaton
Tom Bramall has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Born in Sheffield, and a former teacher, Bramall was promoted to Select Group One in 2022. He has been taking charge of matches in the English top-flight since the start of last season.
In total, he has been the man in the middle 15 times in the Premier League, though only one of those games has involved the Hammers - the narrow 3-2 defeat away at London neighbours Brentford in early November 2023.
Bramall refereed two West Ham cup games in 2022/23 - a 2-0 win away at Derby County in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and a penalty-shootout exit at the third-round stage of the EFL Cup, at home to Blackburn Rovers.
He has been the fourth official at six West Ham matches - including the 2-0 win over Manchester United at London Stadium just before Christmas this term - and served as Video Assistant Referee during the 1-1 draw at home to Bristol City in the FA Cup last month.
Earlier in his career, Bramall enjoyed his first Wembley appearance as referee of the 2022 FA Trophy final, which saw Bromley edge out Wrexham in front of over 46,000 fans, and he later gained valuable experience in the Japanese J1 League in March 2023.
For more information about the officials, click HERE.
